How to be Happy
by joy-kay
Summary: Because of a slip-up by Dwight, Pam and Jim end up locked in the same hotel room. Set in season 2, after the booze cruise and before casino night. Rated T for mild language and suggestive themes.
1. Chapter 1

Hey Readers! Thought I should let you know that there are various flashbacks throughout this story. They happen kind of randomly so I put them in italics. So you know what they are when you see them. Just didn't want you to get confused! Anyway, enjoy and please review!

The hotel was fifteen floors, with a large lobby and a great deal of windows. The evening light shone into the large entrance and glinted off of the glass revolving doors as Pam wheeled her suitcase over to the front desk.

She was dressed in her work clothes (okay, so her work clothes were also her weekend clothes); a light blue blouse with a grey knit sweater over top, and a black skirt with nylons. Her hair was pulled back to keep it out of her face.

"Room key for Pam Beasley, please." she said when she approached the counter, absent-mindedly tucking a red curl behind her ear.

"Sharing a room with Phyllis Lapin?" The small man behind the desk asked. He had a little moustache that waggled on his lip as he talked.

Pam breathed out a sigh of relief. Michael hadn't told anyone who they would be rooming with, undoubtedly wanting to keep them in 'mystery'. Pam had driven up to New York worrying that she'd have to spend the night with Angela or Meredith. Phyllis was a much better alternative.

"Yeah, that's it, thanks."

As the man punched in a few keys on his computer, Pam looked around the lobby. It was actually kind of classy. The floor was made up of a dark polished wood and there were comfortable armchairs to sit in. Leave it up to Michael Scott to blow all his spending money on a posh place for his employees to stay while they were in the city for a business seminar.

Not that she wasn't appreciative of the free room. Roy had told her that he didn't want to come, so she had driven up by herself, even though she barely knew the city, and paid for gas and a new tire (Roy had never gotten around to replacing the one he blew out a few months ago, on her car).

The man behind the counter handed over her room key and Pam got out her wallet. A voice from across the room made her stop what she was doing and turn around.

"Hey, room key for Jim Halpert, please."

Pam cast around the room before her eyes settled on him. Jim was dressed in a blue long-sleeved t-shirt and jeans, his hair flopping over his forehead like it always did. _Wow, he's so tall_, Pam thought. As if she hadn't noticed that particular feature of him before.

"You're Mr. Halpert, then?" The woman behind the desk was saying to Jim.

"Yeah." He responded.

The woman pressed a key on her computer. "It says here that you're sharing a room with a Mr. Dwight Schrute."

There was a pause.

"You've got to be kidding me." Jim said quietly. Then, more loudly, he replied, "I mean, yes. I am sharing a room with … that."

The woman gave Jim his room key and he set off towards the elevators, wheeling his suitcase behind him. Pam followed.

"Jim!" She called, hurrying to catch up.

Jim turned around, saw her, and grinned.

"What floor is your room on?" Pam asked, falling into step beside him. "Oh, I'm sorry, I mean _Dwight's_ room. What floor is_ Dwight's_ room on, Jim?"

He ran a hand through his hair and laughed. "Very funny. I'm going to punch Michael next time I see him. Who are you rooming with? Roy?"

"Phyllis, actually." Pam said. Jim looked surprised. "Roy is spending the week with his brother. He didn't want to come."

"I see." Jim said, looking away. He had an odd smile on his face.

Pam pushed the 'up' button on the elevator.


	2. Chapter 2

Jim's room was on the fifth floor, and Pam's was on the seventh. When Jim got off the elevator, Pam smiled and said "Bye, Halpert."

He thought about her all the way down the hall to his room.

When he slid the key through the lock, he opened the door to find Dwight already there, unpacking his large suitcase. Dwight was in his trademark brown suit and glasses, his greasy hair parted down the middle like always. He didn't look up to see Jim.

"Hey Dwight." Jim said, throwing his own suitcase on the small couch. The room was medium-sized, with a small washroom, a bedroom with two beds, and a living room with a couch and two armchairs.

Dwight walked over to Jim and looked him in the eye.

"I'm going downstairs to check on security. Please be aware that I have a log of everything in my suitcase, and if anything is missing when I get back, you will be punished." He said, strapping a 'security monitor' badge to his chest. It looked like something you would get at a dollar store.

"And … how will you be checking on security?" Jim asked, not backing away from his co-worker's intense stare.

Dwight looked at him as if he was the stupidest person on earth. "I will go down to the lobby. I will demand to see the security system. I will make sure that everyone's room will be safe during the night. I will …"

"… get thrown out." Jim finished for him.

Dwight was already at the door. "Dammit, Jim!" He exclaimed, frustrated, and stormed off.

Jim smiled to himself. Making fun of Dwight wasn't nearly as fun without Pam.

_"Dammit, Jim!" Dwight said, trying to clear out his ear with his index finger._

_"What's wrong?" Jim asked innocently, quickly glancing over to reception before turning to his desk-mate. Pam was still humming a high C note while pretending to work._

_Dwight just made a really frustrated sound and put his forehead on his keyboard._

_Jim started humming the high C as well, and had to stifle a laugh when Dwight put his hands over his ears. "I think my ears are ringing." Dwight commented._

_"And how is that my fault?" Jim asked. "If you have that ear-ringing disease … what's that called again, Pam?"_

_"Pretendenitis." Pam called over from reception._

_"Ah, yes. If you have Pretendenitis I couldn't possibly have given it to you, Dwight."_

_"It gets really painful … If I were you I'd make an appointment with an ear doctor right away." Pam added, and quickly resumed humming._

_"I'm not taking your advice. I will never take your advice." Dwight said into his keyboard._

_But three minutes later he picked up the phone and asked for Dr. Swanson: ear, nose and throat specialist._

Jim sighed. It was those kinds of things that made him love Pam so much. Those memories, those years at Dunder Mifflin with her were some of the best … and the worst.

Being with Pam every day was a blessing in itself. They were best friends … they were thick as thieves. The pranks they played on Dwight were classic; he remembered every one of them and sometimes spent whole evenings cooking up new pranks to execute the next day. Pam was a bright spot in his otherwise lousy job.

But being best friends with Pam could also be a curse. Her fiancée …it was torture to watch Roy walk in to the office, lean against the receptionist's desk and nag at Pam because he didn't 'get any' the night before. Jim would always feel that sharp little pain in his stomach when that happened. He knew for a fact that if Pam were with him, he would be the happiest man who ever lived. And she would be happy too, because he would treat her like she deserved.

Jim finished unpacking his clothes and put his small suitcase in the closet. Thinking about what Dwight said, he decided to pay Pam a visit.

Jim left the room and rode the elevator up to the seventh floor. The halls were decorated with a pale floral design, and every once and a while there was a little sitting room with a vending machine and a table. When he arrived at Pam's room he knocked on her door excitedly.

Phyllis was the one who answered. When she saw him she said "Hey, Jim."

"Hi. Is Pam in? I have something I want to show her."

Phyllis moved aside and smiled almost knowingly. Sometimes Jim wondered if she knew. Phyllis seemed to know everything about everyone at the office, but she always kept it quiet, which Jim was thankful about.

Pam was just putting her clothes into drawers when he entered the living room.

"I have a surprise for you, Beasley. Guess where Dwight is right now?"

Phyllis appeared behind him and cut in before Pam could answer. "I'm going to go for a while," she said, "If anything happens call me." She nodded at Jim (again, knowingly), and left the room.

Pam put the last of her clothes into the closet, smoothed her blouse and gave him a mischievous look. "Okay, where's Dwight?"

"He's downstairs checking on 'security matters'. You know, making sure that all the door locks are working right and hassling the people at the front desk. You want to go and watch? I have a feeling it'll be a good show."

"Absolutely, I do." Pam said, nodding enthusiastically. He loved it when she said that.

They headed for the door. Jim was thinking about what they would see Dwight doing downstairs when he grabbed the doorknob and gave it a push. But it wouldn't budge.

"Something wrong?" Pam asked behind him.

"No, It's just …" Jim gave the door another, harder push. "The door won't open."

They both took turns pushing on the door, but it wouldn't open no matter what they did.

"Um, I'll call the lobby, maybe they'll send someone up to open it from the other side." Jim said, and picked up the phone.

Pam sat on one of the armchairs in the living room and picked up an old magazine to flip through.

It rang a few times before someone picked up.

"Hello?" A somewhat flustered voice that belonged to the small man with the moustache answered, "How may I … sir, please get away from the phone … no, you can't touch the computer, either!" There was the sound of a small scuffle and then the man spoke again. "Sorry about that, how may I help you?"

"Yeah, hi, the door to our room won't open." Jim said.

"Yes, well, we're having a few technical difficulties down here in the lobby … sir, please get away from the main circuit, you've done enough … thank you …and no, you can't talk into the phone _… sir, you are forbidden to use this phone line_!"

And then there was the sound of an argument, but Jim couldn't make out what they were saying.

Pam had grown interested and shuffled over to Jim, where he held out the receiver so they could both hear what was going on.

The argument went on for a while. They both stood there, very confused. Finally someone talked into the other end of the phone line.

"Hello sir or madam," another voice chorused out of the phone. Pam and Jim looked at each other. It was Dwight's voice. "We're having a few problems with the locks here. It seems that someone, who is _not _a security threat, thank you, accidentally tripped the circuit so that all the doors locked. The problem will most likely be solved by tomorrow morning. Thank you."

Dwight hung up the phone rather loudly; both Pam and Jim jumped.

They stared at each other for a moment, until Pam said, "What … was that?"

"I don't know. I'm going to call Oscar, he should know what's going on." Jim flipped open his cell phone and dialed Oscar's number.

Pam retreated back to the couch and opened the magazine again.

After a few minutes Jim hung up his cell phone and sat down on the couch beside her.

"Well, it seems that Dwight messed up all of the door locks in the hotel. And we won't be able to get out until morning …" He trailed off, making sure not to meet her eyes. A whole night alone with Pam? "Poor Oscar's stuck in a room with Kevin."

Jim tried to calm his breathing. He was alone in the room with Pam until morning.

He glanced at the clock. 8:00 PM.


	3. Chapter 3

By 10:00 PM they had eaten two bowls of rubbery microwave popcorn and watched way too much reality TV. Pam was enjoying herself. She didn't get a lot of time with Jim, but when she did she was calm and content. She seemed to forget about Roy and his broken promises, Michael and his off-color remarks and her lousy job at Dunder Mifflin.

Jim reached for the remote. "So, what next, American Idol or the Amazing Race?"

"Ohh, I don't think I can handle any more. How about a movie?" She asked, shifting in the cramped and uncomfortable armchair.

Jim flipped through the Pay-Per-View movies. He too was enjoying himself. Every moment with Pam was precious to him. He kept subconsciously rehearsing what he would say to her when the time came … because the opportune night was tonight, of course. Here in this little bubble, with no outside interruptions, he was sure he could confess his true feelings. He had to.

The movie "Titanic" flashed across the screen. He smiled, sadly, to himself.

_The night was cold, but the ship was alive with excitement. Everyone seemed to be having a good time … some were even getting a bit drunk (Roy, of course, was among them). Jim and Pam went out onto the deck to get some fresh air._

_"It's getting kind of rowdy down there." Pam commented, shivering in the cold air._

_Jim grinned. "Yeah … Darrel, Darrel, Darrel!"_

_"Sometimes I just don't get Roy." Pam said. She looked sad._

_"Yeah, well …" _

_"I mean, I don't know."_

_This was it, things had turned serious. Jim felt his heart begin to pound … he could feel the words on the tip of his tongue. The words that he had rehearsed in his head thousands of times … just say them, Jim, tell her how you feel._

_He hesitated, and just stared at her._

_She was looking at him too. Expectantly._

_After a while she said, "So, what's it like dating a cheerleader?"_

_His head was spinning and all he could manage was a small laugh and an "um". Jim would have loved to kiss Pam right then; it took all of his self-control not to just lean down and gently cover her mouth with his. But he couldn't …_

_What he wanted to say was: "Pam, you mean so much to me. I sit at my desk in the morning waiting for you to come in to work. I remember every little thing you say. Whether it's about tax numbers or your fiancée or mixed berry yogurt, I remember it. _

_"I wish you weren't engaged, Pam. I wish you weren't going to marry him. I want to be able to sit close to you without Roy coming in and pushing me away. I've seen how he treats you and it breaks my heart._

_"Pam, I can talk to you about anything and I feel like I won't be judged. You're so friendly, and warm. And I know that you don't believe me when I say this but you are so beautiful. You glow, and I want to catch just a little bit of the light that's coming off of you._

_"I love you, Pam. I'm in love with you for so many reasons."_

_He tried to get those words out … he really did. It was no use, though. His confession was lost before it even reached his mouth._

_So Jim just looked at Pam._

_If there was ever a look that could communicate a thousand, well-rehearsed and heart-felt words, it was the one he gave her now._

_"I'm cold." Pam murmured, after what seemed like an eternity. And with an almost apologetic look towards Jim, she wrapped her coat around herself, and walked away._


	4. Chapter 4

By midnight the credits of the movie rolled and Pam was fast asleep on the couch beside him. Jim carefully put the bowl of popcorn on the table and shook Pam awake gently. It took a while; she was a deep sleeper.

When she finally stirred and opened her eyes, Jim helped her to stand up and steered her towards the bathroom so she could change. He quickly took of his pants in the living room and put a spare set of sweat pants on (he found them in one of the drawers, courtesy of the hotel). He left his t-shirt on and pulled a brush (also from the hotel) through his hair.

Pam emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, wearing a baggy t-shirt and some shorts.

Jim took a deep breath. This was it.

"Pam, I need to talk to you about something."

She yawned widely and got under the covers of the bed, apparently still drowsy. "Can it wait until morning? I'm just so … so tired." Pam rested her head against the pillow on the right side of the bed. "What with the long day of driving and getting locked in here and having to watch reality television. You know."

"Okay." Jim deflated, even though felt kind of relieved. How many more chances was he going to get? But he supposed that she should at least be awake when he talked to her about it.

He had turned to walk into the living room when he saw Pam, already half asleep, gesture to the pillow beside her.

"Um, what?" He stammered. He was fully expecting to be sleeping on the couch. Pam's room had only one king-sized bed and that tiny two-cushion sofa in the other room.

"Puh-leeze, Jim. You're too tall for that couch just sitting on it. … I mean, I'm comfortable sleeping in the same bed if you are." Jim was sure she must have heard his jaw hit the floor. She added, "We're friends, right?"

Jim was frozen there for a minute. Did that really just happen or did he imagine it?

"Right, Jim?" She asked again.

When he regained his senses he practically ran to the other side of the bed and lay down.

"Right." Jim said, making sure to keep to the very edge of the mattress, just to keep some distance between them. He grinned. "Goodnight, Pam."

Pam was already asleep, breathing steadily, her gentle snores barely audible. To Jim, at that moment, it was the most beautiful sound.

He was soon fast asleep himself.


	5. Chapter 5

They both must have rolled over in the night because Jim woke up with Pam lying right in front of him, facing him, and they had gone to sleep with their backs turned to each other. And, _oh man_, she was close. If Jim were to inch his head forward a bit, he could have kissed her.

She was deep asleep, and dreaming. He watched her eyelids flutter and listened to her breathing. Jim could have lay there for hours just counting her breaths.

The sight of Pam on the pillow next to him, illuminated by the early morning light that seeped in from under the curtains, was beautiful. He sighed.

After a while Jim silently lifted his head up to look at the digital clock sitting on the bedside table.

5:48 AM.

He wondered what had woken him up. Not that he minded being awake at this particular moment. Waking up with Pam right beside him, close enough to kiss, was something that he wished happened every night.

That thought brought back a memory …

_It was sometime near noon when Pam had finally walked through the doors of Dunder Mifflin that day. Jim had been sitting at his desk all morning, itching to see her after the long weekend. He had a new prank to pull on Dwight and couldn't wait to run it by her._

_ She didn't show up at 9:10, the time she usually came in to work (Jim always noticed what time she arrived). And then she didn't come in at ten o'clock, or eleven, or 11:30 either._

_At noon he finally heard the door open and she came trudging in. Pam had large bags under her eyes and she dragged her feet behind her exhaustedly. As Jim watched her set down her things she yawned widely._

_He got up from his desk and walked over to reception, concerned._

_"Are you okay?" Jim asked, leaning against the desk as usual._

_"Um, yeah." She didn't look him in the eye as she sat down. Jim knew Pam, and he knew when she was upset._

_"Right. I just wondered since you came in three ours late and it looks like you might pass out, right at your desk there, from lack of sleep." Jim popped a jellybean into his mouth and chewed it slowly._

_"Ha ha, very funny." Pam sighed. "It's just that … Roy and I went up to the lake this weekend with this couple that we know. And in our cabin there's one king sized bed and another single bed. So our friends slept in the king-sized, Roy slept in the single and I slept on the floor." She yawned again. "And I got no sleep at all."_

_Jim frowned. The mention of Roy had this effect on him._

_"Well, Beasley, I have something that will make you feel better …" he said, and turned just in time to see Dwight fall out of his desk chair. Jim had loosened the wheels on the chair during a morning meeting._

_Pam's face cracked into a huge grin and she brought her hand up to her face as she tried to stifle a laugh. "Genius, Halpert."_

_Her eyes had locked with his, and Jim was happy for the whole day._

Ugh, just the thought of Roy making Pam sleep on the floor made his insides boil.

If Pam were Jim's girlfriend, he would have made a mattress out of blankets and spare pillows and slept with her on the floor, just so he could wake up next to her. He would have held her hand in his and lay close beside her to keep her warm. He would have kissed her on the cheek as she fell asleep. He would have …

"Jim."

Her voice was gentle, but he still nearly jumped out of the bed in alarm. How long had she been awake for? Oh no.

Jim stared at the woman next to him. Her eyes were closed, and her eyelids were still fluttering … dreaming. Wait, did Pam talk in her sleep?

"No, don't. Help Jim, not me … help him …" Pam murmured. She started to shiver, and Jim realized that she must be having a nightmare.

Part of him wanted to wake her up, and another wanted to wait and hear what she said. It did sound like she was dreaming of him … and he wondered if he often occupied Pam's dreams. He certainly dreamt of her often enough.

Pam whispered something in her sleep and rolled over. For a moment Jim was disappointed that he no longer could see her face, but then she scooted backwards a bit and pressed her back into his chest.

He couldn't help but notice how well she fit against him. She was still mumbling in her sleep. Jim was surprised that his heart hadn't woken her up by now, because it had moved up into his throat and was racing like crazy. He took a deep breath.

"I'm so cold, Jim … where is everyone? I can't see anything." Pam said, shivering. She scooted back even a bit more, trying to steal some of Jim's warmth. He smiled.

Jim very, very carefully wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Her hair smelled like flowers.

"Shhh … it's okay." He whispered, and was the happiest person in the world, but also the saddest at the same time.

They lay like that for a while. Pam kept on mumbling in her sleep and Jim just held her tighter. It was something he had dreamed about for years. Her frame was so small against his, though they fit together perfectly; their legs entwined … his chin on her neck. It was almost perfect.

Jim's mouth was right next to Pam's ear. Slowly he took a breath in and whispered, very, very quietly, "Pam, I'm in love with you."

It felt good to say it, even though she couldn't hear it.

Just when he was about to doze off, he felt a change in her breathing and he knew she would wake up soon. The mumbling and shivering stopped. What would he say when she woke up and found him cuddling her?

Jim felt Pam shift in his arms, her hand moving around to cover his.

"Oh, Roy, thanks. You know how I hate those nightmares." Pam murmured, and moved out of Jim's arms and to the edge of the bed.


	6. Chapter 6

Silently, Jim slipped out from under the covers and tiptoed to the living room. He closed the door to the bedroom, so as not to wake Pam, and turned on the light. The bowl of popcorn was still on the table where he left it the night before, and the remote control was sitting on the armrest of the couch. He walked over to the door and gave it an experimental push. It opened easily. Then he sat down in an armchair and put his head in his hands.

Well, what did he expect? Of course she was going to wake up the same Pam … the same _engaged_ Pam. He shouldn't even be in the same hotel room as her, let alone the same bed. And of course she thought, in her state of sleepiness, that it was her fiancée holding her and whispering in her ear and helping her out with her nightmare. Who else would it have been? Her lovesick co-worker/best friend?

But it _was_ Jim, holding her and whispering in her ear. It was almost cruel. Roy got to sleep next to Pam every night, and he took it for granted. Jim just got a taste of what it would be like to be Pam's boyfriend and he would never forget it. For that one moment she was his. His Pam; his best friend, his happiness. He thought it was ironic that the woman to who taught him to be happy was also the woman that was keeping him from being happy.

Jim pulled a notepad and paper from the desk in the room and wrote a note. He didn't try to explain how he felt … he could feel the hurt coming off of him in waves and he didn't want to try and translate that.

All he wrote was:

**Pam,**

**They unlocked all the doors early this morning.**

**I'm going to go back to Scranton early and skip the seminar. I need to sort out some things.**

**Thanks for the movie.**

**Jim.**

He stuck the note on the coffee table, grabbed his pants, and left.

He shut the door quietly behind him.


	7. Chapter 7

Pam woke up when the phone rang. The morning light streamed into the bedroom and covered the carpet, the curtains barely filtering it. It was 8:24 AM.

" … Hello?" Pam said into the phone, rubbing her eyes groggily.

"Hey, Pam. It's Phyllis. Oscar called me last night about the locks. Is everything okay?"

Pam wandered into the living room and spotted the note on the table. Switching the cordless phone to her other ear, she picked the small piece of paper up.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Jim just left, and I heard that Oscar …" She trailed off, re-reading the note.

Jim had gone back to Scranton? She didn't remember him leaving the room. Why had he left so early? And he was skipping the business seminar, too …

"Pam? Are you still there?" Phyllis asked.

"Um, yeah." Pam put down the note and shook her head. "Listen, I have to go get ready, can I talk to you in half an hour?"

After Phyllis had hung up the phone, Pam went to the closet to get changed, but not before folding up the paper with Jim's handwriting on it and slipping it into her suitcase.

Just as she was brushing her hair, there was a knock at the door.

By the time Jim had packed up his things, convinced Michael to let him leave and checked out of the hotel, it was 8:00 AM and he was exhausted. He felt like his heart had dropped into his stomach.

His previous moment with Pam kept running through his head, no matter how he tried shut it out. He had held her, soothed her … and she had mistaken him for Roy. He'd thought that it was impossible for his heart to break any more than it already had after the booze cruise. So much for that little notion.

He had also thought that it was impossible for him to love Pam any more than he already did. But after last night the feeling was even more intense. He trapped that feeling away, though. He forcefully pushed it to the back of his mind. If he were to think about it, actually feel it, it would surely consume him and he would do something that was … careless.

Jim walked to the revolving glass doors in the lobby, fully prepared to leave the hotel and the woman he loved behind. He would go back to Scranton, collect his thoughts, maybe heal a little bit, and go back to work on Monday. Maybe he would cry, too. He felt like he needed a good cry.

_The only sound was the crashing of the cold water against the ship. Jim stared out over the lake, sighed, and then looked back at Michael. "You know, to tell you the truth, I used to have a big thing for Pam." _

Jim stopped walking and looked at the lobby's dark hardwood floor. The doors to the hotel were right in front of him; all he had to do was walk a few more steps and he was out.

_Michael's eyes widened. "Really? You're kidding me. You and Pam?" When Jim nodded, Michael broke into a shocked smile. "Wow. I would have never … put you two together. You really hit it well! God. I usually have a radar for stuff like that." There was a pause. "You know, I made out with Jan …"_

_That was the last thing Jim wanted to talk about. "Yeah, I know." He said quickly._

Jim's heart started to beat faster. He dropped his suitcase and turned around. He was heading towards the elevators.

_"Yep, yep." Michael said. "But … Pam is cute."_

Jim pressed the button to go up to the seventh floor. The elevator started to rise.

_He smiled sadly. "Yeah. And she's really funny. She's warm, and she's just …" Jim trailed off and shook his head._

The elevator doors opened, and Jim walked out to the hallway and took a left. He noticed that he was walking rather fast.

_"Well, if you like her so much, don't give up." Michael said, his brow furrowed, and Jim was awed by his boss' optimism._

He was practically running now. Another left down a hallway, a right … and of course he remembered the room number.

_Jim listened to the creaking of the boat for a moment before he said, "She's engaged."_

_"BFD! Engaged ain't married." Michael snorted, and raised his eyebrows._

Jim knocked on the door and glanced at his watch. 8:32 AM. His heart pounded uncontrollably.

_He hadn't thought of it that way. "Huh." He said. Engaged isn't married. Did he still have a chance?_

Pam answered the door, and Michael's words rang in Jim's ears.

_"Never, ever, ever give up."_

Jim stepped forward, wrapped his arms around Pam's waist, leaned in and kissed her.


	8. Chapter 8

Hey guys, sorry for the long and suspenseful wait. Here's the last chapter. I guess it's kind of an alternative to what happened on Casino Night for Jim and Pam. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and please review!

To Jim's surprise, Pam didn't pull away. She actually kissed him back.

At first she stiffened in surprise, but then she slowly brought her hands around and held Jim's face as he pressed his mouth against hers. The kiss was very gentle, but it had so much meaning in it … it was much more intimate than a passionate kiss.

His heart felt like it was going to bounce out of his chest. I'm kissing Pam, he thought excitedly, I'm _kissing _Pam! He forgot about everything else, there was only her, and again he was the happiest man on earth for just a moment.

Pam pulled back after a few more seconds and Jim watched realization blossom onto her face.

He opened his mouth, closed it again, cleared his throat, and slowly unwrapped his arms from her waist. His eyes didn't leave hers.

"Pam, I …" He started, but then stopped. There were no other words to say, or at least none came to mind. He was already angry at himself for doing something so stupid and impulsive.

Pam looked thoughtful about something. "I had an odd dream last night, Jim."

"Oh." Now he was _really _angry at himself.

"Every once in a while I'll get really bad nightmares. They usually have the normal stuff you find in bad dreams; being chased by something you can't see, loved ones dying." Pam continued, and Jim's heart fluttered when she grabbed his hands and entwined her fingers in his. "But last night was different. I dreamt that Roy came up behind me, gave me a hug, and told me that he loved me and that everything would be okay. He held me until I woke up."

Jim didn't want to listen to this. It was painful. But he bit his tongue and didn't interrupt.

"The thing is … Roy _never _does stuff like that." Pam looked at him. They were still standing very close to each other.

Jim nodded. "Yeah, that … it was just … you kept shivering and mumbling and I felt bad and I just sort of … calmed you down a bit."

"Did you mean what you said?" She asked, her hands tightening around his.

Jim closed his eyes for a moment and heard Pam's voice in his head.

_"What, did you want to tell me something? You look like you want to tell me something."_

_Jim just shook his head, because he wasn't allowed to talk. Like she had said, the rules of jinx were unflinchingly rigid._

_"You look like you have something really important to say and you just can't for some reason." Pam eyed him teasingly._

_He would have laughed at the irony of that statement, but of course he wasn't allowed to laugh, either. He just shook his head and looked at the table in front of him._

_"C'mon, you can tell me." She snickered in mock-seriousness. "Jim, you can tell me anything."_

Jim opened his eyes and looked at her. Her hair was half-brushed, she had one earring in and she still hadn't put on any make-up, but she was still Pam.

"Yes. I did." He said, and felt some sort of weird relief. "I _am _in love with you. Pam, you have no idea."

Pam looked worried, happy and surprised all at the same time. He waited.

"Do you think …" she said after a while, "that I could go back to Scranton with you?"

Jim could have fallen over. She hadn't slapped him, or made a speech about ethics, or ended their friendship forever like he had expected her to.

All she did was kiss him back and ask to go back to Scranton with him.

"Um, of course. Yeah!" Jim replied, a little bit flustered, "Are you sure that's what you want to do, though?"

Pam nodded and smiled, and for the first time in four years Jim was really, truly happy.

"But, before we leave, do you mind if we have a talk?"

They talked for upwards of an hour. Jim said everything that he had wanted to say since the booze cruise, and Pam started to cry.

"Oh, Jim," She said, putting her head in her hands, "I'm so sorry."

Then it was her turn to talk. She explained that she had liked him since they had met, but hadn't fully realized it till the night before. She hadn't decided what to do about Roy, yet, but just that fact that she was considering him made Jim feel like he could fly.

When the time came to leave, Jim walked with Pam to the elevators and was close beside her as she checked out of the hotel. He stood up for her when Michael made a lewd comment about her shirt, and he waved to Kevin and Oscar as they were strolling out of the hotel.

And he made a point of thanking Dwight for checking on hotel security the night before.

FIN


End file.
